Football helmet back flap



July 7, 1964 G. W. JOSEPH, JR

FOOTBALL HELMET BACK FLAP Filed Jan. 19, 1962 United States Patent 3,139,623 FOOTBALL HELMET BACK FLAP George W. Joseph, JL, 2086 Magee St, Lakewood, Ohio Filed Jan. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 169,703 4 Claims. (Cl. 2-3) This is an improvement on the modern football helmet which has attached to it a face bar. It is a one-way, cutout flap on the back of the helmet which would rotate outwardly when any pressure is applied in an upward motion on the face bar or helmet front. The flap would only open outwardly and would be flush with the helmet proper when pressure is not applied. The purpose of this flap is to prevent injury to the neck and its related areas of the body when a sudden upward pressure is applied to the face bar. Such a flap would eliminate any pressure being directed against the neck area by the rotation of the helmet caused by upward pressure on the face bar.

The specifications should be read in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming part of the application, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a rear perspective of the helmet.

FIGURE 2 is a rear view or the helmet.

FIGURE 3 is a full section rearwardly.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of the applicants invention.

In the drawing in which like characters of reference denote like or similar elements, numeral 1 denotes a football helmet with numeral 2 denoting the attached face bar.

The cut-out flap 3, in the middle lower back to the helmet 1, is attached by inside rivets 5 to two hinges 4 which are riveted to the inside right and left center of the cut-out portion of the helmet proper. The flap rotates on the hinges when the helmet is caused to rotate by upward pressure on the face bar.

In order to retain the flap 3 flush with the helmet 1 when pressure is not being applied, two spring steel bars 6 are also attached to the flap 3 and the helmet 1 by rivets 5. The spring steel bars 6 also return the flap 3 to its original position after a rotation has caused the flap to open.

Two hard-material stop bars 7 are attached by rivets 5 3,l3%,23 Patented July 7, 1964 to both middle outer sides of the flap 3. The stop bars 7 prevent the flap from entering the interior of the helmet proper when pressure is applied to the flap itself.

My invention has had expression in a form which I believe to be the preferred embodiment thereof which has been described in terms employed for purposes of description and not to be construed as limitations, as structural modifications may be resorted to without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention as long as the changes made come within the scope of my invention as defined by the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a football helmet the combination consisting of a helmet having at its middle lower back a cut-out portion, a flap which is hingedly connected to the helmet at the upper center of the cut-out, operable means to hold the flap in a flush position with the helmet, and a stop-bar mechanism to prevent the flap from entering the interior of the helmet, but allowing the flap to rotate outwardly.

2. The combination according to claim 1 and wherein the hinge mechanism consists of two hinges each of which has one side riveted to the inside of the helmet at the top margin of the cut-out, and one side riveted to the inside of the flap at the top edge of the flap.

3. The combination according to claim 1 and wherein the operable means consists of two spring steel metal straps, each of which has one side riveted to the inside of the helmet at the top margin of the cut-out and one side riveted to the inside of the flap at the top edge of the flap.

4. The combination according to claim 1 and wherein the stop-bar mechanism consists of two pairs of two, hard-material bars, riveted to the right and left sides of the flap and extending over the edges of the flap so as to come in contact with the helmet when the flap is in its closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,660,375 Dieterle Feb. 28, 1928 2,777,127 Marietta Jan. 15, 1957 2,888,681 Stuart et al June 2, 1959 

1. IN A FOOTBALL HELMET THE COMBINATION CONSISTING OF A HELMET HAVING AT ITS MIDDLE LOWER BACK A CUT-OUT PORTION, A FLAP WHICH IS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE HELMET AT THE UPPER CENTER OF THE CUT-OUT, OPERABLE MEANS TO HOLD THE FLAP IN A FLUSH POSITION WITH THE HELMET, AND A STOP-BAR MECHANISM TO PREVENT THE FLAP FROM ENTERING THE INTERIOR OF THE HELMET, BUT ALLOWING THE FLAP TO ROTATE OUTWARDLY. 